Interview

By Bazaar Staff 31/10/2016

THE MAN BEHIND POTATO NOSE – JAD EL KHOURY

“I search the lines that draws your imagination”

Interview

Born in Baabda, Lebanon, Jad El Khoury is an artist and interior architect living and working in Kuwait. Through the medium of paper and ink, and a desire for lines and colors, Jad gave birth to the Potato Nose. An artistic creation of fictitious characters floating freely, Potato Nose reflects on family, friends and surrounding, as well as extending to people and places Jad experienced during his travels, dreams and nightmares.

When did it all begin? And how did you first become interested in street art/graffiti?

I started when I was in school, I don’t remember exactly but maybe around the age of 10. The teachers always used to try to stop me. From the classroom desk this passion has grown inside of me.

Where did the name come from?

Most of the characters have a nose like a potato.

What gave you that initial push to be a street artist?

There were many factors that triggered me to go and attack the city walls. Art was booming in Lebanon, and there were many issues prevalent in the society around me that needed to be recognized or highlighted. Personally I felt the need to express feelings.

How do you describe the style of your pieces?

The technical term for this style is doodle art. Simple lines, creating forms that represent the people I see every day.

Which artist is your biggest inspiration?

It was actually actor Matthew McConaughey who inspired me when he answered the exact same question with “My biggest inspiration is me in 20 years.” It stuck with me.

The forms and shapes come together to form a composition that delivers a feeling or a statement. It’s about highlighting the muted truth. I focus on the issues or facts that fall between the gaps.

What is the riskiest thing you have even done?

Abseiling from a 22-story building illegally when I was highlighting war traces, transforming each missile hole into a Potato Nose character.

People used to pass by those scarred buildings everyday, without a second glance. They became normal, part of the scenery. They needed to be highlighted to bring up some big questions: What should we do with these iconic monuments that are still standing since the end of the civil war in Lebanon? Should they be preserved? Demolished? Restored?

Are you generally satisfied with your finished pieces?

Never.

Does music play a big role while you’re working or do you need a quiet environment? What is the one track that would usually be on repeat?

Some of the projects are dangerous and you can’t lose focus, so a quiet environment is needed. But when it comes to painting in the studio music is essential. I listen to Beethoven – Triple concerto in C major, Op.56.

Where are your pieces usually located?

The city.

Do you find it difficult to do your work in the streets?

In every project and especially before the first line I draw, I feel really scared when I consider the responsibility of the repercussions, this work will stay for a while, people will see it every day, and it will affect them in one way or another. Overcoming this feeling is the most difficult part.

Have you had any problems with authority because of being a street artist?

I always do my homework, investigating the walls before commencing any project.

Would you rather paint alone? Or do you prefer collaborations?

Usually I paint alone, but I have no objection to collaborations if there’s a story or a meaning behind it.

Have you ever collaborated with other artists?

Yes, on some experimental paintings, trying to mix doodle art with other styles.

What do you see as the future of street art / graffiti?

In this urban concrete jungle, we invented a consumer society. As Jose Mujica put it “We have invented a mountain of superfluous needs, shopping for new discarding the old.” Greed and obsession to reach the top of this mountain have transformed the people into robots. As long as this ugly reality continues to evolve street art will evolve alongside to remind us of our humanity!